Parliamentary questions

178. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether payments made to athletes under Sport Ireland’s international carding scheme constitute insurable employment under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005; and if she will clarify the PRSI status of such payments. [15640/26]

179. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether participation in the international carding scheme gives rise to credited contributions for the purposes of jobseeker’s benefit, illness benefit or the State contributory pension; and if she has assessed the long-term pension impact on athletes whose primary income during their competitive careers derives from such funding. [1…

180. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for jobseeker’s benefit refused since 2016 where the applicant’s primary prior income derived from elite sports participation supported by State high-performance funding; and the grounds on which such refusals were made. [15642/26]

181. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether consideration has been given to providing credited PRSI contributions, a special insurance class, or an alternative statutory mechanism to ensure social protection coverage for athletes representing the State at elite level; and whether any interdepartmental discussions have taken place in this regard. [15643/26]

182. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions taken to improve retention and uptake of work for disabled employees and entrepreneurs. [12461/26]

183. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on youth unemployment; if he has plans to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8661/26]

699. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will make a statement on the need for greater supports for young people in Ireland; and his/her plans to allocate additional, targeted funding for same. [13992/26]

700. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of buildings leased by his Department, or bodies or agencies under its aegis, during 2025; the total cumulative sum paid under these leases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14027/26]

702. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the conditions and requirements which apply to a national of another EU member state who intends to move to Ireland; whether they are required to have secured employment within a certain period of time after arriving in Ireland; what their entitlement to social welfare supports are; and how a particular individual (details supplied) …

703. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of disability allowance in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026. [14087/26]

704. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection when the eligibility criteria for disability allowance was last reformed; and when an additional illness or medical condition was last included for the purpose of broadening the qualifying criteria. [14088/26]

705. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has a clearly defined and published set of criteria for qualifying for disability allowance; and if so, if he will provide details of those criteria. [14089/26]

706. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an exhaustive list of flood related compensation, paid from his Department's vote allocations over the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14108/26]

707. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the current illness benefit rate, in light of concerns that the existing payment is extremely difficult to manage during periods of illness; if he will consider introducing a higher rate for individuals with long and continuous work histories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14356/26]

708. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a list of all State agencies within his Department that allocate programme and project funding to section 39, section 56 and section 10 organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14398/26]

709. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the State agencies within his Department that have made provision for the pension auto-enrolment payment as part of their allocation to funded organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14416/26]

710. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the means test for carer’s allowance, in light of concerns that the current thresholds are excluding many full-time family carers who provide essential care in the home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14573/26]

711. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the income thresholds for disability allowance, with a view to ensuring that people with disabilities are not discouraged from taking up part-time or flexible employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14574/26]

712. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review correspondence (details supplied); the status of the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14588/26]

713. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason recipients, despite being required to provide at least 35 hours of care per week over five to seven days subject to DSP assessment, receive a payment that is significantly below the minimum wage for an equivalent number of hours (details supplied); if he will consider reviewing the hourly payment level of carer’s allowan…

714. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection to review the amount awarded in jobseeker's benefit for a person (details supplied). [14670/26]

715. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures in place to reduce food waste under the hot school meals programme. [14735/26]

716. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will review the eligibility criteria for the working family payment in respect of workers insured under PRSI Class S, including directors of small family run businesses who meet the income thresholds but are excluded due to the current treatment of working hours; whether he will examine extending eligibility in such cas…

717. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection he will review correspondence (details supplied); if he will provide an update on the appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14775/26]

718. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review correspondence (details supplied); the status of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14803/26]